Why Liberty Matters

Liberal has become a dirty word in recent years. It has become synonymous with metropolitan elites, or is seen as an out-of-touch set of values that are to the detriment of the majority. At worse Liberals are seen as the useful idiots or willing apologists for multinational crony cartel capitalism. Liberals have become connected to increasingly divisive identity politics. To be liberal is also commonly regarded as being soft on law and order.

Yet few will argue against holding a set of values with a sensible disposition towards freedom and liberty. So why is there so much antipathy towards liberals today? Much of the problem comes through the rigid and so often illiberal agendas that have flowed from those in power who claim to be liberals.

The ‘everyone for themselves’ economics of the classical liberals put the freedoms of big business before that of the individual citizen. It’s hard to claim to believe in freedom if you don’t believe in the right of every citizen to be able to get a job, access housing and basic services, or even put bread on the table. You can’t protect freedom whilst turning a blind eye to cronyism, corruption, cartels and exploitation.

The social liberals of the left and their ever more divisive identity politics have also badly damaged the liberal brand. It’s hard to claim to champion freedom when you spend your time criminalising free speech and the right to worship freely. Aggressive Orwellian micro-management of the thoughts, speech and beliefs of individuals is not liberal; it’s pure authoritarianism.

Centrist liberals such as Blair and Cameron were obsessed with spreading liberty and freedom across the Middle East at the end of a gun barrel or the tip of a cruise missile. It’s also hard to protect freedom and liberty when you’re turning a blind eye to torture and rendition, dismantling habeas corpus (the right to a fair trial), and imposing mass surveillance of communications.

Our increasingly inappropriately named Liberal Democrats claim to value freedom and liberty whilst being committed to a long term process of handing our democracy and freedoms over to corrupt and unaccountable supranational bodies like the European Union. The Liberal Democrats will apparently defend freedom of movement no matter how much damage it does to the working rights and conditions of the poorest in our society.

Indeed one would be forgiven for believing that any notion of liberty has been abandoned by all the mainstream political parties in the UK. The Conservatives, Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats all seek to impose their increasingly authoritarian and ideological agendas upon us. They seek to use fiscal and legal means to force us to think, act, and live in a certain way. They criminalise, tax and incentivise to force us to change our behaviour to fit their dogma and ideology.

However, today I find myself in a party which itself has become increasingly authoritarian. A party whose rejection of liberty makes it almost unrecognisable to the party I joined. If we don’t turn back from this path, then we, like those other parties, will be nothing more than yet another dogmatic, inward looking authoritarian movement. A movement that seeks to force the narrow and limited view of its leaders and members upon people, rather than meeting the needs of those who we are supposed to be serving. UKIP must listen and be willing to learn from the electorate. We must design dogma free ‘what works’ policies aimed at meeting the needs of all citizens whilst protecting their liberty and freedom.

I’m an unashamedly proud liberal. I reject any narrow cultural and ideological vision which is to the detriment of the freedom and liberty of individuals who do not share such a vision. If UKIP is to thrive, it must be a party for the many. A party which people of all backgrounds can believe in to protect their freedoms and liberty to live, work, play, dress, love, worship etc. however they choose so long as it does not infringe on the freedom and liberty of others.

It’s time for UKIP to offer a truly positive vision prioritising and promoting aspirations of something better rather than simply avoiding fears of something worse. Brexit gives us the political freedom and liberty to promote and implement a unifying vision of a hopeful, positive future for this country. Let’s not waste this once in a generation opportunity.

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Cllr Spillman you seem to be confusing the terms ‘Liberal’ and ‘Libertarian’, for whilst the former is the antithesis of conservatism and tradition, the latter is concerned with upholding man’s natural and divine rights. Whereas Western Civilisation is essentially ‘Libertarian’, it’s being undermined today by the arrival a variety of Third World Cultures which are at odds with it. It’s indeed this conflict which Anne Marie Waters is addressing and one which UKIP as a Patriotic party has a duty to confront. You claim therefore that we are becoming authoritarian would appear to be misguided, particularly in the light of… Read more »

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UKIP became a party whose leader backed the death penalty and internment. A party obsessed with ‘what women wear’. A party with leadership contenders talking about limiting abortion rights, banning gay marriage and banning people from entering the country on the basis of their faith.

How can you possibly argument that any of these are not authoritarian measures?

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Laws and rules designed to make money, political correctness, uncontrolled borders, an electoral system that gives a huge advantage to two main parties and leaves millions effectively unrepresented, taxes taken to give away overseas and build vanity projects, huge waste in government and NHS, Lottery win pay for senior civil servants, lies, evasion ,spin and smears by ministers, a long list of why we need change. UKIP need to be the people’s voice on these matters, we can make sure we have one set of laws for everyone at the same time. Proper Brexit and these things should be our… Read more »

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Of course Liberty matters, but since islamist terrorism descended we have had to hand over some of it in return for security. Well, if you can call it security when it requires a white native Yorkshire woman, a retired teacher of 61 with no criminal record to take off her shoes, belt and cardigan in full view of everyone while her handbag is vigorously rifled through. Meanwhile, who knows how many burkha’ed women sailed past unmolested? I have watched videos shot at airports where this has happened because the staff don’t want to offend our protected muslim minority. And airport… Read more »

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“We must design dogma free ‘what works’ policies aimed at meeting the needs of all citizens…”

Leaving the EU is part of UKIP dogma and is arguably against the interests of a large minority of the people (they voted and believe that it is against their interests.)

Clearly to force this on the country is authoritarian and dogmatic, so what shall we do???

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There is no perfect system of government. Democratic votes necessarily have both winners and losers. The size of the minority vote in a referendum is not relevant. The majority prevails. If delegated power (Parliament) chooses to oppose the popular result, then you have an Authoritarian Democracy.

‘…Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time…’ – (Winston Churchill)

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I saw an article on the A.M.W website where she is talking about the rape of 6000 schoolgirl’s in Birmingham over a 5 yr period.
The “GANG RAPE OF ENGLAND’S DAUGHTER’S” unbelievable! I can’t comprehend how wicked and evil the people who rule over us!!
They are raping our English future,it’s like its all been planned ship them in to rape our children.Impregnate them with mongrels,how hideous!Not a peep by the media whores & westmonster,by God they really hate us? It is they who are the haters.Time Englishmen protect our daughter’s from these savages!! Time is now!

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Please be aware in your use of the word ‘westmonster’. I assume you are referring to the elites in Westminster.

There is a website called Westmonster.com which is run by Aaron Banks and our own Nigel Farage. Aaron Banks is/was a UKIP donor.

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Are you not conflating ‘liberal’ with ‘libertarian’? They may appear similar, but appearance in this case is deceptive. There is already a ‘Liberal’ party, known also as the ‘illiberal autocrats’. The modern usage of ‘liberal’ has embraced a multitude of contradictions. Fortunately, ‘Libertarian’ (small government etc) still has some reasonable clarity…

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Watched an old film “V” (based on Guy Fawkes) a few days ago and heard the words “Fairness, justice and freedom are not just words”. It started me thinking about the UKIP I joined and I remembered that besides getting out of the EU I was taken by the wish to stop government and others interfering in my day to day life. Real tolerance of minor indiscretion could be dealt with instead of dragging you to court for not picking up a dropped ice cream for instance. It has since become much worse. Politicians use these words but they have… Read more »

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As I started to read your post, I was reminded of the old ‘V’ mini-series from 1984 (I presume you are referring to the film ‘V fo Vendetta’?) “V” told the tale of how alien Visitors came to earth ‘in peace’ but were revealed to be lizards in disguise, who went on to enslave the unwitting humans, while a ‘Resistance’ movement bravely fought against them. While the series was meant to be based upon Nazism and fascists in general, one can eerily see modern-day comparisons with the ‘Muslim invasion’ and the liberal-left globalists; suppressing scientists, brainwashing children, the aggressors painting… Read more »

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Yes, I remember that series, StuartJ. The aliens presented themselves as attractive, smooth spinners of reassuring lies, but in private they dislocated their jaws, flicked out long tongues and swallowed live rats whole. During PMQs I sometimes imagine the gobbiest Labour hypocrites doing that.

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8 months ago

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